Cost effectiveness and NASA. Contradictions in terms? 3 1/2 years ago, the US marvelled at the images coming from the twin rovers sent by NASA on a (for them) shoestring budget. The rovers were expected to last 3 months on Mars.
3 1/2 years later, surviving Martian winters, a gigantic Martian dust storm, and crawling up and down Martian hills, BOTH rovers are still exploring their little plot of Martian paradise, sending back data and images just as stunning as the first, though we’ve become jaded to them.
A NASA success story, that.
What a marvelous adventure those rovers have given us, I just love looking at the pictures they are sending back. And what a testament to the ability of our engineers to produce quality rovers at less than top dollar.
Comment by Dad — September 13, 2007 @ 8:20 pm